Gwangju Election Commission: "National Assembly Members Running for Local Government Head Must Resign by May 4"

If Vacancy Is Notified by April 30
By-Elections Can Be Held Simultaneously with June 3 Local Elections

Members of the National Assembly who wish to run for head of a local government in the June 3 local elections must resign from their parliamentary seats by May 4. Whether a by-election for a constituency seat in the National Assembly will be held simultaneously depends on the timing of the notification of vacancy as of April 30. The Gwangju Metropolitan Election Commission provided this guidance on the application of the Public Official Election Act on April 24.

The timing of by-elections for constituency seats in the National Assembly, which arise due to the resignation of a lawmaker, depends on when the vacancy is officially notified. If the National Election Commission receives notification of the vacancy by April 30, the by-election will be held simultaneously with the June 3 local elections. However, if the notification is received after May 1, the corresponding by-election will be held on April 7, 2027.

On the morning of May 29, the first day of early voting for the 21st presidential election last year, voters participated in the voting process after identity verification at the early voting site in Yongjigwan, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Bo-Hyun Song

The resignation requirements also apply to members of local councils under the amended Public Official Election Act. Metropolitan or provincial council members must resign by May 4 if they intend to run for the head or councilor positions in a different metropolitan or provincial area, or for the head or councilor positions in a district, city, or county belonging to another metropolitan or provincial area. District, city, or county council members must also meet the same deadline if they wish to run for office in a different jurisdiction.

The timing of resignation is based on when the resignation letter is received by the relevant institution, regardless of whether it has been formally accepted.

Additionally, under the Public Official Election Act, public officials and other persons whose candidacy is restricted must also resign by May 4, 30 days before the election, if they intend to run for the proportional representation local council elections or for a National Assembly by-election in a constituency. However, in the case of a proportional representation member of the National Assembly running for a constituency seat in a by-election, resignation is required only before submitting the candidate registration application.

An official from the Gwangju Metropolitan Election Commission stated, "Candidates wishing to run in the local elections must have been registered as residents in the jurisdiction of the relevant local government for at least 60 days as of election day. However, this residency requirement does not apply to candidates running in National Assembly by-elections for a constituency seat."

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